Cleaning kit having a sponge wringer



Oct. 4, 1966 E. MOORE CLEANING KIT HAVING A SPONGE WRINGER Filed Dec. 5, 1965 FIG/l FIG 3 INVENTOR. EARL MOORE ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofitice 3,276,064 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 3,276,064 CLEANING KIT HAVING A SPONGE WRINGER Earl Moore, 258 Hudson St., Syracuse, N.Y. Filed Dec. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 511,548 Claims. (Cl. 15261) This invention relates to a cleaning kit for carrying cleaning implements in a handily accessible manner.

In removing spots from walls, woodwork, doors, and cleaning windows, glass desk tops, etc., in the usual janitors line of duty, it has been the practice to carry pails, bottles and other necessary paraphernalia around as separate items, the moving of which, from location to location as the cleaning progresses, is a cumbersome time consuming operation.

The present invention relates to a kit arranged for carrying by the worker, the kit being adapted to be strapped to the waist and slung fro-m the shoulder. The kit has provision for carrying cleaning fluid, cellulosic sponge, dry rags, spot remover, and provision for submerging the sponge and squeezing the same to remove excess fluid, whereby drip and unnecessary loss of clean ing fluid is avoided. The squeezing mechanism is so designed as to provide a uniform squeezing action each time so that the sponge will be in optimum condition for cleaning in so far as its entrained cleaning fluid is concerned.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the kit;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view with the lid removed;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary inside perspective view of the sponge sub-merging mechanism; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view through a lid hinge.

Referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown a kit of generally arcuate shape and of a contour to be worn about the hip, the kit to be supported by a belt 22, passing through two or more loops 23, and a shoulder strap connected to the loops 24 and 26. The kit comprises curved rear and front walls 28 and 30, and end walls 32 and 34. The central portion of the kit is provided with walls 36 and 38 defining together with the bottom 40 a liquid tight receptacle 412 for liquid detergent. Within the receptacle 42, is a perforate plate 44, adapted to support a cellulosic sponge 46 at a level about midway of the depth of the receptacle. The plate 44 is sector shape, to loosely fit the cross section of the receptacle 42, and is supported from one corner by a slide rod 48, extending slidingly through spaced brackets 50 and 54 affixed to the wall 38 adjacent the rear curved wall 28.

A tension spring 52 having its ends connected to the plate 44 and upper bracket 50 respectively is adapted to yieldingly hold the plate 44 up against the lower bracket 54, and above the normal level of detergent in the receptacle 42. The guide rod 48 extends upwardly above the kit and is provided with a handle loop 60. The rod is of such length that upon manually depressing the same, the plate 44 may be carried to the bottom of the receptacle to thereby immerse the cellulosic sponge supported thereon.

In order to provide for elimination of a substantial amount of liquid detergent from the cellulosic sponge, to prepare the same for washing windows, desks, desk glass tops, and the like, with a minimum of dripping, a squeezer mechanism is provided. As shown, the squeezer mechanism comprises a hand lever 64 having a handle end projecting above the kit. The lower end of the lever may be pivoted on a bracket 66, as at 68, the bracket being atfixed to the bot-tom wall 40 of the kit. Pivoted to the lever, about midway between the normal elevated position of the plate 44 and the upper end of the kit, is the side arm 70 of a squeezer plate 72, the pivot being indicated at 74. A second link 76 pivoted as at 78 to the bracket 66 is also pivoted to the side arm 70 as at 80, the lever 64, and link 7-6 being preferably so pivoted to the bracket 66, and side arm or bracket 70', as to provide a parallelogram motion, so that when the lever is swung to the left as is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the squeezer plate 72 will remain vertical, and effect a predetermined squeeze of the cellulosic sponge supported on the plate 44.

A lid 82 for the receptacle 42 and the end receptacle 84 is provided, and the same may be hinged as by looped tongues 86 extending through upstanding tabs 88 and 90 having slots 90' therein to receive the tongues 86. The lid will preferably be of a contour to cover the receptacles '42 and 84, and be provided with reliefs 92 and 94 for the plunger rod 48 and the lever 64. In this manner, the operator may be protected from splash during the squeezing operation. The compartment 84, may be employed for cleaning cloths, which will thereby be kept dry. The compartment 96 may be used for any suitable purpose as a spray detergent or spot remover in a bottle or aerosol container, or for such other purpose as desired.

If desired, the brackets 50' and 54 may be formed at opposite ends of a connecting strip, which may be removable with the spring and plate as a unit from the chamber 28.

Any suitable exterior finish may be applied to the kit such as leatherette, canvas, soft pile fabric or the like, so that the kit cannot cause damage or contact with objects, while the user of the kit concentrates on the cleaning work on hand, with both hands free.

The uses of the kit will at once appear, the same being useful for caretakers of hospitals, office buildings, service stations and the like, and capable of keeping the necessary implements and cleaning solutions handy for cleaning windows, venetian blinds, oflice furniture and the like.

While a single form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning kit for use by janitors and the like comprising an arcuate plural compartment container, having substantially uniformly spaced inside and outside arcuate walls, the inside wall having a curvature suitable for wearing about the hip, said compartment having end walls, disposed substantially radial with respect to the curvature of the inside and outside walls, and having a bottom wall, said container having substantially radially extending partitions intermediate the end walls connecting the inside and outside and bottom walls in liquid tight manner, to provide a central liquid detergent chamber, means including resilient biasing means for supporting a cellulosic sponge on a level midway between the bottom and top of "the chamber, said resilient means urging the supporting means towards the top of the container, said supporting means having manual means for moving the supporting means toward the bottom of the chamber against the bias of the resilient means to immerse a cellulosic sponge carried on the supporting means, and means coupled to said container for laterally applying a uniform squeeze to a cellulosic sponge, while carried on said supporting means at themidway level.

2. A kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein belt loops 7 are provided on the inside wall, and a belt for embracing the wearers waist is provided.

3. A kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the inside Wall adjacent its upper end is provided with loops for the reception of a shoulder strap.

4. A kit in accordance with claim 2 wherein the inner the reception of a shoulder stra 5. A kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein a lid, hinged to the upper edge of the inside wall is provided, said lid being of a contour to'sub stan-tially cover the cent-ral chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,926,377 3/ 1960 Hollander 1526-1 DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CLEANING KIT FOR USE BY JANITORS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING AN ARCUATE PLURAL COMPARTMENT CONTAINER, HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY SPACED INSIDE AND OUTSIDE ARCUATE WALLS, THE INSIDE WALL HAVING A CURVATURE SUITABLE FOR WEARING ABOUT THE HIP, SAID COMPARTMENT HAVING END WALLS, DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY RADIAL WITH RESPECT TO THE CURVATURE OF THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE WALLS, AND HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, SAID CONTAINER HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING PARTITIONS INTERMEDIATE THE END WALLS CONNECTING THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE AND BOTTOM WALLS IN LIQUID TIGHT MANNER, TO PROVIDE A CENTRAL LIQUID DETERGENT CHAMBER, MEANS INCLUDING RESILIENT BIASING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A CELLULOSIC SPONGE ON A LEVEL MIDWAY BETWEEN THE BOTTOM AND TOP OF THE CHAMBER, SAID RESILIENT MEANS URGING THE SUPPORTING 